SINGLE REVIEW: Dear America, somewhere in Connecticut is a band called ATRINA. Which has a new video and single called “a Drone” in support of the album called In Planetery Sugar. At first glistening Atrina’s music reminds us of this canadian group called tristan psionic from Sonic Onion that we saw at the Bugjar many big dogs ago (Tom Bug Reference for any of you bands who stayed at his place) once which was a mix of Sonic Youth and tainted with something airy vocally like Belly meets bjork. Anyway you should support them so they can feel inspired to play a show near you. We like it for what we could describe as guitar thronking and would be a perfect addition for your spring cassette mix.

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I always think of the Sonic Youth as the band with as many guitars as they had sounds, feedback and melodies all packed into this noise jam that somehow made sense together.

This is sort of pretty slick video with a flying guitar and disco lights which is miles and decades away if you compare it to the gritty videos they did in Evol era Richard Kern. I know this is his solo work but none the less always great to see and hear the caliber of musicians like him making such relevant music and actually just shooting the video himself. Humbled.

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I’ve got to say I blame Thurston Moore and his Sonic Youth for making me think about instruments as a paint brush versus notes. Can’t say I ever dared to invent or play weird guitar tunings, except for the occasional drop “D” but I often enjoy working with a simple palette. Even a single not solo works for me. Anyway here’s a few tunes by the 99th best guitarists ever as noted by Rolling Stone and a zillion other guitar heads. I put him up and Lee Renaldo in the top 10 innovators of the instrument.

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Evol was one of the first sonic youth records i ever bought i think. Might have been sister or confusion is sex. not really sure because I picked them all up as soon as figured out i really liked them. I don’t think i had listend to my vinyl copy in 10 years and totally forgot about the lock-n-groove at the end of side one. Most of you kids are like what the hell is he talking about? Basically it’s literally record groove that keep flipping the last rotation over and over again. Analog at it’s finest because a cd nor iTunes can even do this. So here’s a burn of “Expressway To Yr Skull” with about 3 minutes of lock-n-groove and static at the end making this version 10:00 minutes long. Enjoy the extra noise as we posted Pussy Galore tune here too.Expressway to Yr Skull MP3 (00) by Sonic Youth

The cover art a repurposed still from Richard Kern‘s Super8 movie Submit To Me

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Sister by Sonic Youth was one of those records that changed my opinion on what was punk back in 1987. What sealed the deal was seeing them play live at CBGBs for the first on a hot summer in 1988 months before Daydream Nation came out. It’s was one of those shows where they played the whole record from front-to-back. Everybody in the audience also new Sister and Evol but it didn’t matter. This was a double dose of their next steps. I remember all the fucked up guitars on the stage with large letters on them all set-up for each particular tune. When the drums kicked in on Teenage Riot the whole place lit up and people disappeared into the speakers and into the guitars.

These two records are probably the two best things on Emusic right now. Everything else that followed pales in guitarnovation then and now in my humble opinion and at 50 cents a song is not a bad deal considering I payed about that to own these on vinyl and are still my go to Lps when I need to escape into some sweet blissful noise. Over the years I’ve seen Sonic Youth and honestly they are still the same. Back then they were on the edge and they kept working and making these cityscapes out of walls of sound using the hand manipulated guitars and a rhythm section that just drove it in. Other times it was slow space jam which had the same effect. It’s the sort of thing that can not be replicated or hacked on a computer. This was BC(before computers) with the right amount of distortion and feedback made all the difference. What you committed to tape either worked or it didn’t. That was the magic and every time I hear even a glimmer of “it” in anybody’s music these days I get excited and my ear perk up like I’ve been starving for years . So get me excited.

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SET 1: The Guest MC is Rick Sanchez and I am right there in the front row drinking beers and peeing in-between the bands, sometimes maybe in a cup. Thankfully the live stream exists so I can check the scene over the weekend. Catching some great performances and then sleeping it off during the day For Matador’s 21st Birthday bash, Liz Phair is sitting next to me drinking fancy drinks next to the pool as Lester Bangs compares the 60’s to 90’s and how Nirvana Fucked it all up for us. We were our inflateed market with so many clubs to choose from we could not even conceive of having to play some place so desolated like Brooklyn, ever!

Here’s my playlist of tracks that rockED beyond recognition:Our Boys Will Shine Tonight by Chavez(Pictured above) originally this track was from Ride The Fader then later appeared on the double CD comp Better Days will Haunt you. The original is an amazing LP recorded by John Agnello at Water Music mostly in Hoboken. If you are guitar geek you own this record. Thankful having seen them live a few times from their days at Brownies and beyond. [Buy]Flavor by The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion from Orange. I have memories of listening to this record and opening up the windows in the middle of day and drinking beers with my roommates. This record is another guitar marvel. [Buy Some JSBX]Schizophrenia by Sonic Youth from the epic exorcism record Sister. I first heard these guys in 1987 in highschool and quickly baught up every release pretty much moving forward up until Dirty. Saw them at CBGB’s one summer before Day Dream Nation came out and they played the whole record live from front to back and it was one of the most memorable live experiences that I will never forget. Once this record made it onto playlists it was over. Years later they would sign to DGC and tour with Nirvana making fun of the whole situation in the movie The Year Punk Broke in 1991. No Life Singed Her by Pavement from Slanted & Enchanted. This is the epitome of slacker rock. The apex of drunk and loose. Never would an indie band reach such heights maybe for the exception of on Icky Mettle. The tunes are melodic and mindful of their recklessness neatly sown together by the melodies of Stephan Malkumus. [BUY]

Bonus:The Helicopter Spies by Swell Maps from Jane From Occupied Europe. Totally influential and you will totally get hooked.

LATER POST:See this interview excerpt from GQ on @Stereogum with Steve Albini talks about being tasteful in rocknroll when asked about the Sonic Youth jump to DGC. Did they fuck it all up for the of us? Albini blames the suits.

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The main batch of tickets for the show are “sold out” but River will be distributing unclaimed tickets 9AM the morning of the concert in Battery Park this July 4th. As part of WFMU’s 50th Anniversay celebration freebie concert series. Both bands are legendary in their own rights. If you stop by the tent the FMU djs will give you the poster. Just give em’ a donation. Bootleggers, shut-ins and out of towners be ready; Sonic Youth’s set will be broadcast live on wfmu.org around 4:45 EST.

Yes, minor excitment for us laxy mp3 bloggers. rbally has resurfaced this winter with some awesome bootleg posts from Ryan Adams (which is as abundant as air but whatever), The Replacements at CBGB’s from October 12, 1984; Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks at Crystal Ballroom, June 17, 2005; Radiohead – In Berlin from 2000, Sonic Youth – Teatro Tenda Strisce, Roma, Italia,and Wilco at Troutdale, Oregon, in the USA (August 22, 2007). Lets see if Matador leaves him alone. Start your mp3 downloading as rbally has enabled us once again.